


Seek

by Acaeria



Series: Lola's Guide to the World [3]
Category: Gravity Falls
Genre: Alternate Universe - Transcendence, Cultists, Gen, Kidnapping, Reincarnation, u kno the usual
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-16
Updated: 2015-10-16
Packaged: 2018-04-26 16:36:39
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,722
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5011951
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Acaeria/pseuds/Acaeria
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Char and Gabe have gone missing, and it's up to Lola, Tri and Dipper to find them.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Seek

**Author's Note:**

> Welp, I'm back again. The question is, why do I keep getting ideas for Lola when I should be working on Mutually Beneficial or the pjo mini bang fics I should have started a long time ago? Who knows.

Summer rolled by again and Lola found herself sat on her bed with Tri, when Alcor popped into existence beside them.

Surprised by the suddenness, she jumped, dropping her phone so that it fell and hit the floor with a clatter; Tri yelped in shock and toppled backwards, crashing to the ground with a much louder sound.

“Lola, I really need your help,” Alcor said, as Lola’s mother yelled upstairs,

“Lola? Is everything okay up there?”

“Yeah, Mum!” Lola yelled back. “Everything’s fine, I just made Tri jump is all.”

“Well, if you’re sure everything’s okay…”

“I’m sure, go back to whatever you were doing!”

“Okay…”

She heard her mother's footsteps retreat and sighed, looking down at Tri, before bursting out laughing.

“Aww, they’re so _cute_! How come I’ve never seen your antlers before, they’re adorable!” He blushed, grabbing his hat and pulling it back on.

“They’re not,” he muttered, shaking his head and standing up, stretching awkwardly. He was ridiculously tall, his hands cramped against the ceiling. For Lola, who had always been ridiculously small, this was something that was extremely unfair.

“Lola,” Alcor whined.

“Yeah, yeah,” Lola sighed, turning toward him. “So what’s up, Dip?” He winced.

“I _knew_ giving you that book was a bad idea. Have you heard from your sister lately?”

“Mmm, no, not really? Why? What’s up?”

“Char’s gone missing.” Lola froze.

“What?”

“Gabe, too. We were… hanging out, and then I got this summons, and when I got back, they were gone, without a trace. And I can’t find them, which means someone is purposely hiding them from me…”

“Lola? What’s going on?” Tri asked. Lola sat still for a very long time, thinking things over. Then, she grabbed a notebook, tore out a page, and scribbled a message for her mother: _Gone out, idk when I’ll be back. Don’t wait up_  and left it on the bed.

Grabbing her coat and bag, she spun around. “Blip me over there,” she told Alcor. “I’m gonna help you find them.”

“Wait, what’s going on?” Tri cried in frustration. “Lola, can you explain this to me? Like why there’s a demon in your room and where the hell are you going and what on earth is happening-”

“There’s no time!” Lola cried. “My sister’s in danger, I’ve gotta help her.” She bent down and grabbed her phone, slipping it in her pocket. “You can come if you want to, but I’m leaving now.”

Tri hesitated, then nodded. “Alright, I’m coming with you.”

“Let’s go,” Lola told Dipper. He nodded, and held out his hands for Lola and Tri to take; Lola did so eagerly, while Tri was more hesitant.

The moment the three of them were touching they vanished from the room.

* * *

Lola landed unsteadily on her feet but managed to stay balanced, whereas Tri just fell to the ground. Alcor did the opposite, floating up to the air and chewing on his claws in worry.

In front of them was the Stanley Pines Memorial Library.

When Tri had stopped shaking and managed to stand, he swore softly under his breath, grabbing onto Lola’s arm. “Are we in Gravity Falls?” he asked, wide-eyed, and Lola nodded.

“Yup!” She grabbed Dipper’s ankle and pulled him down to their level. “Hey, Dip, where’s the last place they were?”

“Kitchen.”

“Alright.” Dragging her two friends behind her, Lola made her way into the library, and began looking around. Sure enough, there were no signs of a struggle, which was suspicious; if Char were kidnapped, she’d make sure it were obvious. “Hey, are there any traces of drugs anywhere?”

“No,” Dipper told her, lowering his legs so that his feet touched the floor.

“Hmm, what about magic?”

“This old house has so much magic it’s almost impossible to distinguish the old from the new, it’s just all so intense.”

“But we can assume it was magic that took them?”

“Most likely.”

“Huh.”

“So, in short, neither of you have any clue where to start?” Tri asked from the doorway, raising an eyebrow at them. Lola sighed.

“Unfortunately.”

“Is there anyone around here that might’ve seen what happened?”

“I doubt it,” Alcor said. “I mean, if there was anyone visiting the library, they would have been taken too- Oh. _Oh_. I’m so stupid.”

“What?” Lola cried. “What?”

“The Woodsman!”

“Tri?”

“What? No, the _other_ Woodsman! He walks the woods here, watching over them. He’s actually connected with forests all over the world, and his job is to protect people within and around woods from danger. If anyone saw them, he did.”

“Great! So, where do we find him?”

“Uh… No idea, really. He’ll probably appear if we just wander the woods for a while.”

“ _Probably_?”

“It’s better then nothing, c’mon!” Dipper straight-up flew out of the shack, leaving Lola and Tri to race after him.

“I’m still waiting for the explanation to all this, Lo,” Tri said. Lola winced.

“Yeah, I know. It’s…” She paused, both for air and to gather her thoughts. “Basically, Alcor’s a member of the Pines family- it’s a long story- and watches over them and their reincarnations. And one of my preincarnations, Willow, she was a Pines, so he watches me, too. And because Char and Gabe- one of the Pines family- have vanished, he got me to come help look.”

“That’s, as Jon would say, _Mad_.”

“I know, right? Anyway- whoa, why’d you stop?” Lola skidded to a halt behind Alcor’s floating form. The demon didn’t say a word, instead pointing forward at the looming figure between the trees.

She froze.

It was tall, taller than a human, made partially of wood and partially of bone. It had hollow, soulless eyes, and antlers that twisted high, like the branches of a tree. Hanging from the antlers were hands, severed and bloody, tied to strings. The creature’s arm was a blade, a large axe that gleamed in the dim light.

“What is that?” Lola heard herself ask, voice strained and quiet in the silent woods.

“The Woodsman,” Alcor replied.

The Woodsman took a step forward, and its eyes seemed to soften, if that were even possible. It held its non-deadly hand out toward them- not to Dipper or Lola, but instead to Tri. Lola shoved Tri forward, and he stumbled, tripping out in front of the creature.

The Woodsman made a pleased-sounding noise, patting Tri on the head before talking to Dipper and having a silent exchange.

Then, he turned and lumbered away into the woods.

“What did he say?” Lola asked Alcor curiously. The demon pointed.

“He says we should follow the path.”

“What path?” Lola asked, but even as she said the words, a path of yellow and pink flowers was blooming beneath the trees. “Oh. That path.”

And so the three of them set off down the path the Woodsman had left in his wake.

* * *

“Hey, you okay?” Lola asked Tri as they walked behind the floating demon. Tri nodded distractedly.

“Fine. That was just weird, you know?”

“Yeah? I dunno, there’s so much weird in my life, I’ve kind of got used to it.” He sighed.

“I guess I’m gonna have to get used to it now too, huh?”

“That depends, you gonna be hanging around me for long?”

“Lola, you’re friends with a demon. Not only is that extremely concerning, but I’m also a demonologist, and there’s no way I’m passing up this chance.” Lola grinned. “Plus, if I’m not here, who’s gonna tell you when you’re being way too crazy. Not him, and if your sister’s anything like you, she won’t, either.”

She laughed. “Well, that settles that, then.” They walked several more steps down the path before she spoke again. “Hey, Tri? Thanks.”

He looked at her in bewilderment.  “Thanks? What for?”

“Just… Putting up with me. Not being to weirded out by this weirdness. You know?”

“Lola, the first day I met you you asked me why I had antlers. Despite the fact that they’re under my hat and I’ve never told anyone that didn’t have to know. I knew right from the get-go that our friendship was just gonna be weird.”

“True, true. Just thought I’d say it, you know?”

“Mmm.”

“Oh, and the antlers? They’re much bigger with the Sight. Pretty cool. Unlike your tiny ones. Wow, can’t believe we’ve never cleared that one up.”

“It’s a bit of a weird subject.”

“True again! Man, we’re doing great at this today!” Tri grinned, and they continued down the path.

* * *

They walked all night and by morning, they had come to a clearing, in the centre of which was a cottage straight from a fairytale. The flower path carried straight past it, but Alcor veered off the path, and so Lola and Tri followed.

“Hey, what’s the deal with the house?” Lola asked, stifling a yawn.

“I know the person that lives here,” was all Alcor said, raising his hand and knocking on the door. Several minutes later, it was opened by someone that was easily eight feet tall, with skin made from bark and a head of leaves. They looked down at the party at the door and called into the house,

“Kitty, Alcor’s here!”

The dryad vanished back into the house and a small girl appeared at the door. She seemed to be about eleven years old, with freckled skin, unruly hair, and a bright grin adorning her face.

“Alcor!” she greeted excitedly. “It’s been ages!”

“Hey, Kit,” Alcor greeted, ruffling her hair. “How’ve you been?”

“Great!” Kit said brightly. “What’re you doing here? Does it have something to do with the flowers?”

“Yeah, we’re following them to find some friends.”

“Like a treasure hunt!”

“Yeah, kind of!”

“Syrup did a treasure hunt at Easter, and the treasure was _chocolate_! It was great. Are you coming in? Your friends look tired. Do they want some food? I think we have coffee, do they like coffee?”

“I like coffee,” Alcor told her as they came in through the door.

“Alright!” Kit said. “Hey, Syrup, Juni, Alcor wants coffee! And he has friends!” The girl continued to chatter as she lead them through the high-ceilinged cottage to the kitchen. Tri and Lola exchanged a glance as they were lead inside.

“She’s more energetic and loud than you. I didn’t think it was possible,” Tri murmured to her. Lola snickered.

“She seems like a good kid. I wonder how Dip knows her?”

“I dunno… Hey, why do you call him Dip?”

“Oh, just a nickname I got from Willow’s journal.”

Their conversation came to a halt as Kit sat them down at the table, and prepared them some food and coffee. Lola, who wasn’t much a fan of the drink, chugged it down immediately, realising for the first time just how exhausted she felt. Tri watched her, his eyebrows knitted together in concern.

“That is way too much caffeine.”

“Shh,” Lola told him, placing the cup down and wiping her mouth with her sleeve. “I need it. We still have a way to go, right Alcor?”

“It’s not too far, a couple of hours maybe?” Dipper replied.

“Can I come?” Kit begged. “ _Please_ , Alcor?”

“Sorry, Kit, it’s dangerous. Maybe next time.”

“Aww, you _always_ say that!”

“If I come and visit you next week, will that make it better?” Kit paused, pouting, but nodded.

“I guesssss,” she said. “Promise you’ll come!”

“I promise,” Dipper told her, before turning to Lola and Tri. “Are you two ready? We should get going.” Lola nodded, and Tri was already on his feet. Alcor gave Kit a hug, and Lola thanked the dryads for their hospitality, and then they were on their way.

“Bye!” Kit yelled from the door, waving wildly as they started back on the path. Grinning, Lola turned and waved back.

“She’s a good kid,” she commented to Alcor. “How’d you find her?”

“She’s the current Mizar,” the demon told her, turning to float backwards in order to face them. “She was in a bad situation, and I pulled her out of it, but Gabe was only young at the time, and his father really wasn’t in the position to look after another kid. So I pulled in a favour from a couple dryads, and appointed Juni and Syrup to watch her. I stop by every so often, see that she’s doing alright.”

“Can we come back here sometime?” Lola asked. “I could like, babysit or something.” Alcor snorted.

“Yeah? Good luck. But sure, I don’t see why not. Now,” he spun around, touching down on the ground, “Let’s get on, shall we?”

* * *

The building was a small wooden church that was partially falling down, overgrown with moss and weeds, hidden in a small hollow in the woods.

“Yeesh, this place has to have been here for _centuries_ ,” Lola commented, glancing around. “Are Char and Gabe inside?”

“I still can’t feel them,” Dipper said in frustration. “You two stay here; I’ll go scope the place out.” And then he vanished, disappearing into the mindscape so deep that even Lola couldn’t see him.

He returned almost five minutes later. “They’re in there, alright, but they’re tied up, gagged and bound. They’re both conscious, and I managed to get a message to them that help’s coming. They’re being held by some people- I’d say they’re a cult, but I’ve never seen a cult like _this_ \- but they haven’t guarded the place very well, and by that, I mean at all.”

“So what, we just bust in, rescue them, and get back out again?” Lola asked. Alcor shrugged.

“Yeah, I guess.”

“Easy then. I’ll go.”

“What?”

“I said, I’ll go. You guys can wait here.”

They stared at her.

“Lo, that’s stupid,” Tri said.

“He’s right,” Dipper agreed. “There’s ten of them and one of you. What’re you gonna do?”

“Burn ‘em. Whatever.”

“Lola, we have the help of an actual demon here. No offence, but you’re five foot three and weigh the equivalent of a sack of flour. What can you do to them that we can’t help you with?”

“Like I said, _burn ‘em_.”

“You can’t burn all of them, Lola, you’d get Char and Gabe too,” Dipper pointed out. Lola paused, thinking, then ducked her head.

“Oh, yeah,” she mumbled. “Forgot about that. So, we all go?”

“Sure.”

“Then, let’s go!”

* * *

The memories soon became a blur in Lola’s head, but she remembered using her flames against the cultists (and Dipper was right, they didn’t look at all like her preconceived notion of cultists at all), and she remembered Dipper joining her to fight (she bet they looked awesome together), and she remembered that moment where Tri had been attacked whilst trying to free Char and Gabe. The two of them had been unable to help, busy on the other side of the church, but as it turned out, he didn’t need it. At that moment, his hat went flying, and the antlers erupted out of his head, knocking the guy in the head so hard and fast he crashed to the ground in a dead faint.

The next thing she remembered clearly was lying on the grass outside of the church, her friends and sister sat beside her, sharing stories of what had happened.

“Hey, is Lola okay?” she’d heard Gabe ask. “She’s been lying there for a while.”

“Lo?” Tri called, leaning over her, and she stared at him dazedly before giving an excited shriek and shooting upwards, knocking him backwards and wrapping her arms around his shoulders. “Lola, what-”

“Your _antlers_!” Lola breathed. “They’re so cool! Have you guys seen this? Please tell me you’ve seen this.”

“Yeah, we’ve all seen ‘em,” Char said amusedly. “Where’ve you been the past fifteen minutes?”

“Hmm, I dunno. Ask me some other time.”

“So, now that’s over,” Gabe said tiredly, “I think it’s about time we went home.”

“Yeah, I should probably get back before Mum starts worrying…” Lola agreed, glancing over at Alcor.

“Hey, Uncle Dipper…?” He groaned.

“I _knew_ giving you that book was a bad idea. You have too much power.”

“You know it.”

Dipper sighed again. “I’ll be back for you in a minute,” he told Char and Gabe, who gave various sounds of agreement and acknowledgement as he took Lola and Tri’s hands, and the three of them vanished in the blink of an eye.

****  
  



End file.
